Did you know? Philippines Imports P500-M Worth Of Jackfruit Yearly

My involvement in the propagation and promotion of agricultural crops like Jackfruit, Sorghum and Soybeans is mainly motivated by a personal desire to cut the country’s dependence on imported products which could be grown locally.
When Pres. Rodrigo Duterte appointed me as Agriculture Secretary in 2016, one of the first things that I did was to ask officials of the Dept. of Agriculture to submit to me a list of agricultural products which were imported or sourced from other countries.
The list was shocking as it was a stark proof of how much we had neglected our agriculture and ignored the potentials of the country to grow its own food.
Among the imported items were Tomatoes, Cutflowers, Monggo or Mungbeans, Garlic, Onion Sorghum, Soybeans, Rice, Corn and, hold on to your seats, ‘Langka’ or Jackfruit.
Statistics bared that the Philippines imported some P500-M worth of Jackfruit from Vietnam and other countries every year for our processed food products like Ice Cream and “Turon.”
Jackfruit importation is shocking because the “Langka” fruit tree is part of an iconic rural farm where behind the “Kubo” is a Jackfruit and a Coconut.
Jackfruit is endemic to the Philippines and it grows all over the country but the reason why we failed to satisfy the needs of the processing industry is because Jackfruit farming had always been a backyard activity.
Isang puno, dalawang puno, masaya na tayo at may makukunan ng panghalo sa Baboy at Kadyos at may makakain na ilang pirasong bunga.
General Santos City-based Agribusiness Advocate Rene Pamintuan had always rued the fact that our fruit farming in the country, especially Jackfruit Farming had not been elevated to an industry scale where the volume could assure the market of a sustained supply.
I fully agree with Rene Pamintuan because right now, only multi-nationals and big companies are involved in plantation operations like Del Monte, Dole Philippines, TADECO and Dizon Farms.
Paano tayo kikita sa “Langka” kung dalawang puno lang ang tanim natin or for that matter how could we wean ourselves from dependence on imported cut flowers kung walang industry?
Perhaps, this will give the followers of this page an idea on why I have embraced such advocacies as Growing and Propagating the EVIARC Sweet Jackfruit, Giant Bamboo, Sorghum, Soybeans and soon Wheat, Barley and Triticale in cooperation with three State Universities.
The Filipino farmer could produce most of the crops that we import now but government must lead and pave the way for the birth of an industry.
A National Program for Jackfruit, Avocado, Sorghum, Soybeans, Durian and others should be initiated by the national government to be supported by a reliable marketing and promotions program to ensure market for these produce.
Kaya nating Imaging self-sufficient sa halos lahat ng agricultural products but we have to come up with a well-planned national program to do this.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!